Bob Skerker Board Chair

Mr. Skerker serves as President of the Jacobs Institute, following his involvement with the Institute as a volunteer since 2011. In his role, he directs the strategic focus, direction, decision making, policy, operation, and development of the Jacobs Institute. Bob joins the Jacobs Institute after more than 30 years of leadership at Robinson Home Products, Inc., where he served as Chief Executive Officer from 1994 to 2011. While at Robinson, he successfully transformed the business from manufacturer to customer-driven, branded products. Bob managed and led the successful conversion from a small group of shareholders to a tax-free transfer to employees, thereby insuring the future viability and leadership of the company. He sits on two corporate boards of family-owned businesses in Buffalo, NY and provides consulting services to a private equity hedge fund in New York. Bob also currently serves as a Board Member for numerous institutions in Buffalo: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall Management Corp, Darwin D. Martin House, The Investigative Post, Willowbank School (Ontario), and is chair of the Canadian-US studies Program at University at Buffalo. He was also selected as Citizen of the Year 2012 by the Buffalo News. He also served as co-chair of the successful National Trust for Historic Preservation conference held in Buffalo in 2011. Bob graduated from Bradley University and attended the Owner President Management Program at Harvard University Graduate School of Business. He and his wife Sara are lifelong Buffalonians.